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Note To Label People: Check A&R Department; Dump RIAA
June 27, 2008
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"'Wait a second, you've been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?' I was telling kids, download it illegally, I don't care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live."
-- Kid Rock in the BBC News this week, telling them that a few years back Atlantic Records had asked him to "stand up [against] illegal downloading."Well, the news leaked that Madonna is allegedly getting ready to file for divorce. (Surprise, surprise) Somebody said things are not going too well between "The Material Girl" and husband Guy Ritchie because they have career differences. She has one; he doesn't.
Hollywood may be bracing for another strike, this time by the actors. I guess they didn't learn the lesson from the Writers Guild strike. The lesson being: The public can survive without Hollywood, and the strikes only help those at the top make more, but not the membership at large who waits tables and bartends. But they're even thinking of a strike brings to mind the old joke: How many actors does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Only one, he just holds on to it and the whole world revolves around him.
This week, for the first time in U.S. history, the Supreme Court ruled individual Americans have the right to own guns for personal use, and struck down a strict gun control law in the U.S. capital. The landmark 5-4 ruling marked the first time in nearly 70 years the country's high court has addressed whether the Second Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, rather than a right tied to service in a state militia. Get ready for the "Dirty Harry" reruns.
I have no idea how this will work, but the Orange County Register in Southern California announced this week that it is going to try a new way to cut costs: outsourcing to India. Mindworks Global Media in New Delhi will copy edit some of the paper's stories for a one-month trial starting next week. Which reminds me: I've always wondered if there's actually a restaurant in India called "The New Deli" ... would have to be a hit, right?
But I digress. Down to business.
Next time you read any spin by the RIAA about how their (meaningless) lawsuits have had an effect on deceasing illegal downloading, please consider the source and remember what I've said here over and over again. The lawsuits have done NOTHING.
From an article this week in Rolling Stone titled 'Peer-to-Peer Networks Top Internet Traffic List' ( http://tinyurl.com/5yqeex ): "Further proving that illegal downloading is more common than anybody is willing to admit, a study that monitored Internet traffic in North America in May discovered that nearly 44% of all activity was dedicated to file-sharing programs.
Sandvine, a networking equipment and technology provider, conducted the study. Last year, a similar study revealed P2P traffic made up 41% of all activity. While the study couldn't break down how much of that downloading was devoted to music (as opposed to larger files like video or software), the 44% represents a staggering amount of computer owners using P2P programs to get their media via illegal means."
If in fact the lawsuits have done anything, then maybe the RIAA can explain why there was a 15% decline in U.S. album sales last year as well. IFPI revealed recently that total retail revenues were $29.9 billion in 2007, a 5.6% drop from 2006, while a five-year trend shows a 19.1% drop from a 2002 figure of $37 billion. Yup, those lawsuits are really effective, huh? Oh, but wait a minute ... I forgot. Now people say it's all Steve Jobs fault.
Whoever they want to lay the blame on, one thing is clear. Crystal clear. The RIAA is about as effective in doing their job as Paris Hilton is in doing hers. Of course, you might ask, "Does Paris Hilton really have a job, and if so, what is it?" I don't know the answer to that question anymore than I know the answer to what it is exactly the RIAA does. I only know Paris gets more press. Not necessarily for the right reasons, but she's working it.
There as an article in the New York Times this week, "Coldplay's Strong Sales Buck Industry Trend" ( http://tinyurl.com/6q8ju3 ) by Ben Sisario in which he states, "Despite the steep drop in overall album sales in recent years and tumult within Capitol's parent company, EMI, the opening-week numbers for "Viva la Vida" are roughly equivalent to those of Coldplay's last album, "X&Y," which sold 737,000 copies in its first week three years ago and went on to sell three million. Apple, the dominant online seller, said "Viva la Vida" had the best advance and first-week sales of any album in the five-year history of iTunes. The success of "Viva la Vida" comes a week after Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal) became the first album in three years to sell more than a million copies in a week."
( Remember that it was just two weeks ago that Fox's Roger Friedman's commented about the impending changes at Capitol Records and said "This means that as Coldplay -- the group headed by Gwyneth Paltrow's husband Chris Martin -- releases "Viva La Vida," the biggest album of its career, its American record label will have no one running it." My comment about Roger's comment was: "I'm quite sure that both Coldplay will have all the representation they need when it comes to releasing and marketing releases.")
If the industry wants to see more sales weeks like those generated by Lil Wayne and Coldplay, and more artists "buck the industry trend," then the industry should set about focusing its future on signing more artists that can deliver solid sales over the long term. If they've been trying to do that, then the A&R departments at most labels, for the most part, haven't been successful.
But at a time when new entries enter and drop out of the Top 20 Album charts on a weekly basis faster than at anytime before in chart history, it's apparent that quality still sells big quantities, and "audio flavors-of-the-month" drop as fast as President Bush's approval ratings.
The multi-platinum certifications by those artists who do deliver each time out, despite all the problems in the industry today, prove that people have no problem buying music when they perceive it has real value. (A good album versus one or two good tracks they can buy on iTunes or download illegally)
None of this, of course, is rocket science. It's good business sense 101.
When applied correctly, the rewards can be plentiful.
And Now This...GEORGE CARLIN, 1937-2008...R.I.P.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of." -- George Carlin, talking to The Associated Press earlier this year about the Supreme Court ruling in 1978, upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language after a New York radio station played his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine.
Whether or not you liked George Carlin, he was a comedy trailblazer and the country's leading counterculture comedian for decades. Lenny Bruce opened the doors (at great risk and cost back then), and George Carlin was one of those who benefited from what Lenny had started.
After a successful entry onto the national comedy circuit with traditional stand-up, peppered with some of his own characters (his "hippy-dippy weatherman," Al Sleet, being the most famous), George simply realized he had a whole lot more to say. He still wanted to make us laugh, but he also wanted us to think about what he saying. He left the high-paying venues in Las Vegas and decided to do the college circuit. He had things to say, and he felt the college audiences would relate to it better.
With a great mastery of the English language, he delivered his routines with precision and endless energy on 14 HBO specials, four of which garnered Emmy nominations.
But that wasn't enough. George also produced 23 comedy albums (and won four Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Comedy Album), wrote three books (two became New York Times Bestsellers for 40+ weeks), did a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies. When "Saturday Night Live" first went on the air on October 11,1975, Lorne Michaels chose George Carlin as the first guest host.
This past Tuesday, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
If you were a fan, then read 'George Carlin's Last Interview' by Jay Dixit on the Psychology Today website. It's one of the best interviews I've ever read with anyone.
Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/5t85ef.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK...
"I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam."
-- George Carlin
The Beatles Heading to "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band"?
Following the success of two weeks of the Beatles' music on "American Idol," the Fab Four's catalog may be branching out again: Reps for the band are reportedly talking to both Activision and MTV Games about possibly releasing a Guitar Hero or Rock Band based around Beatles' tunes.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Gas Prices, Economy Shake Sales for Summer Tours Festivals, top acts feel the heat as many fans stay home this summer
The axiom has always gone "Bands make all their money on tour," but this summer is shaping up to be troublesome for many treks, especially by veteran acts.
Four-dollar-a-gallon gas prices are eating away at the summer-concert business, with top festivals and tours taking unexpected box-office hits over the past few months. Bonnaroo and Coachella fell short of sellouts for the first time in years, tours such as Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Maroon 5 and George Michael are struggling, and even perennial sure things like Bruce Springsteen and Nine Inch Nails are soft in some cities. "It has an effect when people are filling up their cars for $80," says Alex Hodges, chief operating officer for Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles. "How many concerts are they going to go to with all the other costs?"
Read more about it by clicking here.
Gas Prices Are Hurting Indie Band Tours, Too
Steven Garcia pulled into a Houston gas station recently to fill up the old Dodge van his punk band uses on summer tours. For months, the 23-year-old singer-guitarist had been budgeting money and booking show dates for Something Fierce's third tour -- but skyrocketing gas prices have put the brakes on those plans.
"Once I ran the numbers it was a 'There's no (expletive) way' kind of moment," Garcia said. After much hand-wringing and grumbling from bookers who'd scheduled the band to play, Garcia canceled the tour.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Pirate Radio Gets a New (Digital) Life
The New York TimesIn the old analog days, people who couldn't get on traditional radio turned to broadcasting illegally over unlicensed radio frequencies. But now pirate broadcasters can put their radio programs on the Web with a computer and a telephone. BlogTalkRadio, which helps alternative broadcasters, just closed an initial $4.6 million round of funding led by The Kraft Group, the owners of the New England Patriots.
The service lets anyone host a live radio talk show over the telephone or Internet, complete with live guests and callers. Show creators get half the ad revenue. Recent participants include Brad Pitt and Senators John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Seven Technologies That Will Change Your Life
PC Magazine researched their annual future tech story and uncovered several projects under way at the big companies and university labs that mimic or enhance the human senses. In the future, tech will be able to hear, see, smell, and touch for us. They found seven cutting-edge examples along with four more pieces of emerging technology to watch out for.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Best Websites for Movie Fans
Summer movie season is already upon us, which means there are tons of news, reviews, spoilers, and commentary swirling around the Web--in fact, it's also already time for the holiday movie rumor mill to start churning, too. Where are the best places to turn to get all your cinematic smarts? These 15 websites and blogs chosen by PC Magazine are a good place to start.
Read more about it by clicking here.
IDOL RUNNER-UP DROPPED
"American Idol" season six runner-up Blake Lewis has already been dropped by Arista Records. I guess the vocal beat-box stuff just didn't catch on ... gee, what a surprise.
ONE MILLION AND COUNTING
Madonna has already sold more than one million tickets globally for her Sticky & Sweet tour. Kind of makes all the bad press you might've been reading about Live Nation making the deal with Madonna insignificant now, doesn't it?
GOING TO N'AWLINS
Death Cab for Cutie, Panic at the Disco, Lupe Fiasco and more acts have been added to New Orleans' Voodoo Festival on October 24-26. Wyclef and Tokyo Police Club also join a lineup that includes headliners Nine Inch Nails, R.E.M., and Stone Temple Pilots.
WINEHOUSE DIAGNOSED AND THEN RE-DIAGNOSED
Early in the week Amy Winehouse's father said she was diagnosed with emphysema and doctors warned her that if she continues to smoke drugs, she'd not only lose her voice, but "it will kill her," as only 70% of her lung capacity remains. Later in the week, news came that Winehouse did not have emphysema, but did have some breathing problems.
MTV BACK TO LA-LA-LAND
After a decade of broadcasting from such locations as New York, Miami and Las Vegas, the MTV Video Music Awards are returning to Los Angeles. This year's award show will air September 7th from the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood.
BRIAN WILSON DOES NEWPORT
The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson will join Trey Anastasio, Cat Power, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and many more at this year's Newport Folk Festival on August 1st, where he'll headline the fest's opening night. Wilson's new album, "That Lucky Old Sun," a collaboration between Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, will be released September by the Beach Boys original label, Capitol Records.
TIMBALAND RECOGNIZED
Timbaland was named Songwriter of the Year this week at ASCAP's Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. Also honored were Fabolous, and Ne-Yo's "Make Me Better" for rap song of the year.
SUICIDE AT RETAIL
Bruce Springsteen, Liars, Primal Scream and many more will celebrate the 60th birthday of Suicide's Alan Vega with covers of the punk icon's songs for a set of limited-edition vinyl EPs scheduled for release on July 28th.
OASIS IN FALL
Oasis have announced their new album, "Dig Out Your Soul," will be released October 7th. "The Shock of the Lightning" will be the album's first single.
SCALPERS GET NIXED
"I'd like to dedicate this record, right here, to my main man Johnny Cash -- a real American gangster." -- Snoop Dogg, in the intro of his country music-inspired video "My Medicine," off his album "Ego Trippin'"
Quotes of the week
"I'd like to dedicate this record, right here, to my main man Johnny Cash, a real American gangster."
-- Snoop Dogg, in the intro of his country music-inspired video "My Medicine," off his album "Ego Trippin'""Note to self for tomorrow's show: Remember where you put [the] mic."
-- Taylor Swift, on the one thing that trips her up while hosting TRL, on her MySpace blog"I'm a wild child. I will take you on a Harley ride, then make passionate love to you. And should you be attacked by a lion or an idiot at the bar, I will protect you."
-- "Rock of Love" star Bret Michaels, on what his trademark long locks say to women, to PEOPLE. Wow, what a guy, huh? Ugh."I don't think aliens or ghosts like black people. We never get abducted; our houses never get haunted. It always happens in rural areas, where no ethnic people live. The day I see somebody from South Central Los Angeles say, 'Man, I got abducted yesterday,' then I'll believe it."
-- Rapper Xzibit, who is co-starring opposite David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Amanda Peet in the upcoming movie 'The X-Files: I Want to Believe' .
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
I Couldn't Help But Notice Your Product Hasn't Been Endorsed By Anyone Yet By Tiger Woods
My specially designed Tiger Woods TAG Heuer watch read 11:45 a.m.yesterday when I got back from the practice range. After washing up and shaving with my favorite Tiger Woods Gillette Champions razor and getting in a few rounds of EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, I picked up the copy of Golf Digest on my coffee table-the one with my ad for TLC Laser Eye Centers. What caught my attention, however, was an advertisement on the adjoining page for your product, Pine-Sol.
Call me crazy, but it looks like you're lacking a big-time celebrity endorser. Yes, you have that sassy fat black woman who appears in commercials and print ads, but she's hardly a celebrity. I'm talking about someone with name recognition. Maybe even someone who's won, say, 64 professional golf tournaments, 13 major championships, and has been named PGA Tour Player of the Year nine times? Your lady may be funny, but is she the most marketable athlete in the world with a supermodel wife, a new baby girl, millions in the bank, multiracial appeal, and a great goddamn smile? No.
Online at: http://tinyurl.com/4o7go5.
THE RADIO INTERVIEW on 'THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE' - From newsblaze.com
"Steve Meyer is on the front line of global music sales and distribution which he expects will soar to pocket-bursting levels. What's more, he shares his insight and ingenuity with us. Steve gives us both historical perspective and futuristic vision as he chats with Judy about the love of his work, trends of the business and his personal points of view about success, happiness and blending life with the lust for life. Steve joins Judy and helps us discover the thrill of having it all with a sense of balance and purpose. "
You can listen to an interview I did with Judy Piazza of 'The American Perspective' by clicking here: (It runs about 15 minutes)
http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=10306.
The Blogs
Check out a great blog by Jerry Del Colliano, the Director Executive Programs, Clinical Professor Music Industry & Recording Arts, at the Thornton School of Music,University of Southern California, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com.
Box Office
Check The Daily & Weekly Box Office (and more film info) at: www.boxofficemojo.com.
TinyURL
Check out www.tinyurl.com where you can make a smaller URL that will work for any webpage you wish to link to or reference. (As you can see, I'm using it in my news stories above!)
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